Watch Phil Demmel Make His Slayer Debut In Denmark

“I am filling in for a legend who was replaced a legend in a legendary band on their farewell tour,” says the ex-Machine Head guitarist.

Phil Demmel made his Slayer debut last night at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The former Machine Head guitarist is currently filling in for Gary Holt, who left the tour to care for his father.

“Full circle,” writes Demmel on a post on Instagram. “Karma. It’s so crazy how things work out. I got a text less than 24 hours after I played my last MH note. 11 years ago (almost to the day), I had to leave a tour to fly home and be with my family when my father passes away. Some amazing dudes stepped in to cover for me and to help the band out. I am filling in for a legend who was replaced a legend in a legendary band on their farewell tour.

“Despite the fact that Slayer is the reason I wanted to play heavy music, it’s beyond my utmost honor to asked to do this,” he continues. “Learning 19 songs (not just songs, SLAYER songs) has been a daunting task and I have worked very hard to do Gary and the entire camp proud. As we all here send our love and support to Gary as he goes through a life-altering time, the rallying this camp has done is amazing. Thank you all for your support as I grab the baton for a few shows and fly the Bay Area flag high on stage right. And lastly, the biggest hero is [partner] Marta for being so selfless after having her partner home for two days, sends him off to follow this crazy dream. All hail the Queen.”

Watch Demmel rip his way through Hell Awaits on this fan-shot video below.